curate

[noun kyoo r-it; verb kyoo-reyt, kyoo r-eyt]

noun

Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.

any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.

verb (used with object), cu·rat·ed, cu·rat·ing.

to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit): to curate a photography show.

to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content: “We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained.

Origin of curate

1300–50; Middle English curat (< Anglo-French) < Medieval Latin cūrātus, equivalent to Latin cūr(a) care + -ātus -ate¹

Related formscu·rat·ic

[kyoo-rat-ik] /kyʊˈræt ɪk/, cu·rat·i·cal, adjectivecu·rate·ship, nouncu·ra·tion, nounsub·cu·rate, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curation

Contemporary Examples of curation

His curation techniques were far from scientific; his knack for interior design was often fueled by his sense humor.
Casa de la Torre: The Museum of Mexico’s Liberace
Brandon Presser
March 24, 2014
The curation of such a merry (and complex) company was surely no easy feat.
The Portrait Gallery Face-Off: Fresh, Famous, and Quirky Faces Win the Day
Chloë Ashby
November 17, 2013
To solve the curation quandary, The Daily Beast has produced its first list of the feeds to follow.
Beast Best Awards: The Daily Beast Picks the Best of Twitter
June 17, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for curation

curate

noun

a clergyman appointed to assist a parish priest

a clergyman who has the charge of a parish (curate-in-charge)

Irish an assistant barman

Word Origin for curate

C14: from Medieval Latin cūrātus, from cūra spiritual oversight, cure

curate

verb

(tr) to be in charge of (an art exhibition or museum)

Word Origin for curate

C20: back formation from curator

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for curation

late 14c., from Old French curacion "treatment of illness," from Latin curationem (nominative curatio), "a taking care, attention, management," especially "medical attention," noun of action from past participle stem of curare "to cure" (see cure (v.)).

curate

late 14c., "spiritual guide," from Medieval Latin curatus "one responsible for the care (of souls)," from Latin curatus, past participle of curare "to take care of" (see cure (v.)). Church of England sense of "paid deputy priest of a parish" first recorded 1550s.